The secret gallery's blog » powerful words.

The Power of Words

Marianne Slevin — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 18:52:49 +0000

I think of the words we use as being very powerful, that they go out into the universe whether they are written, spoken or sung. Positive words have positive vibrations and so with the opposite. I try to use positive words in my art practice or at least neutral words. Names of places often seem to influence what happens in the place, such as in Northern Ireland could it be possible that if “Stormont” had another name (Starmont maybe?) would peace have been a little bit easier to achieve? To me millions of people writing and saying a word that conjures up images and feelings of torment, and the mount of storms! (tormenta being the spanish for storm) cannot be helpful when aiming for peace! Peace talks in such a building, sounds like starting at a disadvantage! What are we calling for? The words I used in the “sheet in the sea” pieces were based on this idea, as well as for me of being a visual affirmation of harmony between humans and the rest the natural world.

Love Unity Love Laughter Love Live Love Light Love Love Love!!

Happenings and Interventions in the landscape and urban spaces

Marianne Slevin — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:28:00 +0000

Things seem to move in circles and 8 years ago I spent a month or so living in the same cottage that we all live in now. I was making work for my M.A. Show. I did interventions which were documented with photography and one video which was of the sea coming in over a sheet, that had text written on it in indigo pigment. I did a series of Wind Records which were made by hanging hand made vessels that dripped indigo pigment and oil onto large sheets of cotton, each one was different; as the wind determined the pattern of the drips. I also made a collection of rain records on rice paper, the rain actually disintegrated little holes and made marks and corrugations through the paper.

A lot of the interventions I did at that time were playful and kind of visual affirmations of a more harmonious balance between us and nature or between our wild nature and our intellect. Such as taking a sheet of words which were the human aspect, to the sea which was the natural element, then the sheet of words and the sea would do their dance, sort of a playful prayer, or dialogue between the words and the sea. As well as Flour on car roof, which looked almost like archipelagos in a deep blue sea or snow covered mountains!

I also believe that words are very powerful and either written or spoken their vibration ripples out into the universe. There is a scientist who took photographs of ice crystals that formed around certain words, they found that the crystals that formed around positive words such as Love were beautifully formed and the formations around words like `hate´were jagged and all over the place.

One of the sheets of words I made the words were written while I was walking in the Burren, and about what I saw while I was walking; describing the nature around me. These interventions have been documented and now are made into small folding hand bound books that we now have hanging in the Secret Gallery. It has been a while since I did any of that kind of word work but I think it wont be long before I do again!

The space between order and chaos

Marianne Slevin — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:27:15 +0000

Much of the work I make explores the space between poetry and absurdity and order and chaos, it is along this shoreline that I find many great things happen; the surfers playground between deep ocean and land. Chaos is converted to order then back into chaos. ¨Journey to the moon, between two worlds astronauts sing¨.

I am fascinated by words and the ancient three lined, 17 syllabled Haiku poetry. Matsuo Bashō is one of my favourites. I have spent many years attempting to write my own versions of Haiku. In the mixed media on board pieces, Forty days travelling in India and Travels in Thailand you can see some of these Haikus. I also use text as an important aspect of the work. Such as in the painting Open your heart then open it some more and in We, where it says We both think something different but we both think the same. I see words as being very powerful and sometimes I prefer to write something meaningful to get a message across and leave the associated imagery up to the viewers imagination.